Northland news in brief: Honey Wars, 50 drugs charges, walking track, dog registrations and more

Kerikeri documentary maker Adam Jones with his own beehives. Photo / Supplied

Honey Wars starts

Eight-part TV series Honey Wars, filmed and directed by Kerikeri wildlife cameraman Adam Jones, will start screening at 8pm on Prime TV on Sunday. The show follows the Murray whānau, of Kaitaia, as they build up a business based on mānuka honey. Jones said he met the Murrays, a "hard-case, hard-working whānau of beekeepers", shortly after he moved to Northland four years ago. Their Tai Tokerau Honey was a Māori business success story, with no outside corporate investment to sour relations. "As soon as I walked in the door of their honey plant I knew there was a story waiting to be told. It had all the right elements for television, including the husband and wife team in Rob and Lonnie Murray," Jones said. "As mānuka honey has become big business there is also hive theft, as well as competition from beekeepers and bees alike, hence the name Honey Wars."

50 drugs charges

A Northland mother facing 50 drugs charges involving methamphetamine and ecstasy has been released from jail on electronic bail. Fiona Nivika McFarland, 28, of Onerahi, appeared via a video link in the Whangārei District Court on Thursday before Judge Duncan Harvey. The string of charges cover a period between November 2018 to June 2019. The charges include 18 charges of offering meth, eight charges of supplying meth, seven charges of manufacturing meth, seven charges of offering GBL - also known as fantasy or liquid ecstasy - and one of supplying GBL, three charges of supplying ephedrine, two charges of conspiring to manufacture meth, one charge of possessing a precursor, one charge of producing ephedrine and two charges of unlawful possession of a firearm. The charges are a result of police searching two rural properties in Wheki Valley, between Maungatapere and Tangiteroria, in May this year. McFarland is scheduled to appear again in court on July 31.

New walking track

A new section of track along the trail from A.H. Reed Memorial Park to Otuihau Whangārei Falls now has a new all-weather surface and is suitable for walking with dogs on leashes. Whangārei District Council contractors Northland Parkcare worked through Covid-19 level 3 to complete the 400m of path before the weather got too wet. The $40,000 track, between the park's swing bridge and the concrete track, forms a short-cut across the bush line, for those not wanting to wander along the riverside. The riverside route remains open, but because it is easily damaged in wet weather, it is not suitable for the kind of material used in the new path.

Community survey

Over the next 12 months, Whangārei District Council will be developing Placemaking Plans for Hikurangi and Tikipunga. Plans for other locations will follow. The plans will respond to changes in the communities and the key that come with it. In a first step, council is carrying out a survey to better understand these areas and what matters most to the people in these communities. Tikipunga and Hikurangi were chosen for the Placemaking Programme because of a number of factors such as growth and community readiness. The online survey is open until July 8. Visit wdc.govt.nz/PlansPoliciesandBylaws/Plans/Placemaking/Pages/default.aspx.

Dog registrations

Dog registrations in the Far North District are due from July 1. To avoid late-payment fees, Far North District Council is encouraging owners to register their dogs before September 1. If a dog was neutered recently, owners could be eligible for one year's free registration. Community Services Card or SuperGold Card holders also get a 10 per cent discount before September 1. Contact FNDC on 0800 920 029, or visit www.fndc.govt.nz for an online registration.